Iowa State upsets Oklahoma State to open door for LSU-Alabama rematch

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Let BCS chaos officially begin. Alabama got the loss it needed when Iowa State shocked No. 2 Oklahoma State 37-31 tonight in double overtime, opening the door for the debate on what one-loss team should play for the national title.

The upset leaves LSU as the only undefeated team from a major conference. Alabama will likely move to No. 2 in the BCS on Sunday assuming it defeats Georgia Southern on Saturday, potentially setting up an Alabama-LSU rematch in New Orleans on Jan. 9.

Alabama and Oregon become the top one-loss contenders to play LSU for the BCS Championship Game, and Oklahoma will try to make a case too. If those three one-loss teams win out, there will be arguments for and against all of the teams.

But Oklahoma State's loss especially hurt Oklahoma's claim. The Sooners wanted the Cowboys to be undefeated heading into their Dec. 3 game in Stillwater so Oklahoma could claim it's the best one-loss team.

Voters who don't want Alabama or Oregon playing a rematch against LSU could opt for Oklahoma. But they would have to overlook the Sooners' loss at home as a four-touchdown favorite to Texas Tech. If voters opt for a rematch, Alabama played LSU closer than Oregon did.

This assumes these teams win out. Alabama finishes against Georgia Southern and Auburn; Oregon plays USC, Oregon State and in the Pac-12 Championship Game; and Oklahoma plays Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State.

And of course there's no guarantee LSU will win out. The Tigers still play Ole Miss, Arkansas and potentially the SEC Championship Game. If LSU loses to Arkansas next week, there could be a three-way tie for the SEC West title.

The tiebreaker to play in the SEC Championship Game would be the team ranked highest in the BCS standings that week, unless the top two tied teams are ranked within five or fewer places of each other. In that case, the head-to-head results of the top two tied teams will break the tie to play in Atlanta.

Oklahoma State's loss to Iowa State means Alabama can win out and potentially be in the top two of the BCS standings without playing in the SEC Championship Game. If Arkansas defeats LSU, there's even the possibility of Alabama being No. 1 in the BCS and not playing in Atlanta because LSU would have the SEC tiebreaker over Alabama.

The Cyclones, nearly a four-touchdown underdog, pulled the upset under coach Paul Rhoads, a former Auburn defensive coordinator who replaced Gene Chizik at Iowa State. Four years ago, Rhoads was Pittsburgh's defensive coordinator when the Panthers stunned West Virginia in the final week to prevent the Mountaineers from playing for the BCS title.

Oklahoma State barely missed a field goal near the end of regulation. The Cyclones scored on the first play of overtime, putting the pressure on the Cowboys, who answered with their own score.

On the first play of the second overtime, Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden was intercepted, the third pick for the Heisman Trophy candidate. That was the opening Iowa State needed to win.

Now Alabama has its opening. College football has talked about the LSU-Alabama rematch all season. The door has officially been kicked down for that to happen.